value judgment

An assessment of a person, situation, or event. The term is often restricted to assessments that reveal the values of the person making the assessment rather than the objective realities of what is being assessed.

Note

We often make value judgments without realizing that we are doing so. For example, a teacher who describes a student as “the best I've ever taught — very polite and obedient” is making a value judgment about the qualities (politeness and obedience) that make a student good.